Watch This Bobcat Move Like Lightning as It Chases a Squirrel up a Tree

Imagine the ultimate cat and mouse game where the domestic cat is replaced by a determined bobcat and the mouse is replaced by with another rodent – a squirrel. That is what you have in this vid and it is utterly enthralling.

At the start of the video we see an alert bobcat at the foot of a tree. Their body language suggests that they have suddenly seen something of interest which is very likely to be prey. Within a couple of minutes, the bobcat is scaling the tree, clinging onto the bark, and making excellent progress. They look quite relaxed about this method of pursuit right up until the point where the cheeky squirrel changes directions and heads back down the tree! On the face of it, this does not seem like the most sensible choice for the squirrel who may have done better to continue up the tree and then leap to an adjoining tree on the smaller branches that are too weak to hold the bobcat’s weight. But, who are we to tell a squirrel how to get away from a bobcat?

And we soon find out that the tactic works because there follows several minutes of non-stop chase action as the squirrel outwits the bobcat time and time again.

It includes a few scary moments when the cat looks like they are about to fall and an interlude when they have to stop to catch their breath only to have the sound of the squirrel chattering at them from high up in the branches – it sounds as if the squirrel is laughing at their pursuer! Although, this is actually a typical alarm call that squirrels use to warn that a predator is near. And this particular predator curls up at the foot of the tree and starts to wash itself whilst keeping a sharp eye on what the squirrel is doing! Once the bobcat catches sight of the human cameraman, they slope off into the undergrowth and this incredible chase comes to an end,

Bobcats as Hunters

The bobcat is a medium-sized mammal of the Lynx genus and is found in Central America and North America. They are quite secretive and are not often captured by amateur filmmakers, so this is special footage. Bobcats are incredibly versatile and even though they prefer rocky hillsides that are well-vegetated, they can also be found in coniferous forest and mountain woodlands, swampland and deserts and even the suburbs of human settlements.

In addition to squirrels, bobcats like to hunt rabbits, mice, birds and lizards. When food is scarce, they will attempt a deer and have occasionally hunted sheep. After this encounter, the bobcat in this vid may have lost their appetite for squirrels!

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The photo featured at the top of this post is © Victor Arita/Shutterstock.com